


in this essay i will...

by egosoogyu



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: (but only like a really tiny bit because i can't do that to myself), (those last two are platonic), Angst, Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, Cuddling, Denial of Feelings, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Kang Taehyun-Centric, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Soft Choi Beomgyu, Soft Kang Taehyun, Unrequited Love, Whipped Choi Beomgyu, Whipped Kang Taehyun, beomjun - Freeform, ceo of 'moment of silence', taejun, yeonbinkai also the light of my life, yeonbinkai stage an intervention for the pining taegyu cause they are Over It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egosoogyu/pseuds/egosoogyu
Summary: The one where Soobin, Yeonjun, and Kai are mildly (read: extremely) convinced that Taehyun and Beomgyu are dating. The boys in question are hopelessly confused (and helplessly pining.)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 15
Kudos: 283





	in this essay i will...

**Author's Note:**

> my first fic in this fandom!! i'm extremely excited because this took a month since i started this right before college started up again, and i found some time to finish it. i love taegyu so so so much, so i hope you enjoy!

“Alright,” Soobin says with his Leader Tone, as he makes eye contact with each of the four members, “Thank you for gathering here tonight, as we have something very important to discuss.” Taehyun instantly feels wary— for one, Soobin has the Leader Tone on, which he doesn’t use in the dorm that often. Also, he’s being way too formal, and it’s freaking him out. 

“Um,” Beomgyu starts from beside him on the couch, “If this is about your broken mouse, I’m _really_ sorry, okay? I got just _a little_ mad when I was playing Among Us with Hyuka… blame him!” Soobin pauses carefully, looking at Beomgyu.

“My mouse is broken?” He says, sounding as baffled as he looks. Beomgyu’s mouth drops open comically, and Taehyun snorts from where he is, wariness gone as quickly as it arrived.

“No. Your mouse is— she’s doing great,” Beomgyu flaps his hand, sitting back, “ _Haha_ , jokes!”

“This hyung, so hopeless…” Hueningkai says from his spot on the ground, putting his hands in his head, before whipping his head back up at his hyung, “And you’re trying to blame _me_?”

“Oh my god, Beomgyu can pay for it later! Can we please focus?” Yeonjun says impatiently, and Soobin rounds on him. 

“ _You knew as well_?”

“That’s besides the point,— _c’mon_ ,” Yeonjun stresses making vague hand motions to continue. Soobin, sighing begrudgingly, gets back to the original topic at hand. 

“Right. Anyways, this is an intervention. I’ll get right to the point,” the leader squints at Taehyun and Beomgyu before asking: 

“Taehyun-ah, Beomgyu-ah, are you two dating? I mean, we already kinda know the answer, but we want to hear it from you guys.”

Taehyun suddenly feels the temperature of the room rising by a couple of degrees, tugging on the collar of his t-shirt. Beomgyu sputters and coughs next to him, and they spare a glance at each other before quickly looking away. 

Sure, Taehyun may or may not have feelings that go a bit past platonic towards Beomgyu, but there’s no way he could have been that obvious. And besides, there’s no way Beomgyu could possibly like him back (not after _that_ incident anyway) so… 

“We aren’t dating, hyung,” Taehyun says, his voice a bit more strangled than he’d like. He feels Beomgyu staring a hole into the side of his head, and by sheer force of will, he doesn’t make eye contact with the other boy. 

Soobin merely frowns, looking a little disappointed. _Yeah, tell me about it_ , Taehyun gripes. 

“Yah, you guys know it’s not good to lie to your members, right? This is a safe space!” Yeonjun splays his arms out wide, plastering a smile on his face.

“Unless we’ve done anything that might’ve made you guys uncomfortable?” Kai says, looking at them worriedly. 

It’s now Taehyun’s turn to be dumbfounded. 

“Y-yah, what are you guys talking about? We really aren’t?” Beomgyu says, hand on his chest as his eyes fly between the other three members. His face is a very dark shade of red. ( _It’s pretty_ , Taehyun thinks in passing, which he really shouldn’t be—)

There’s silence for a moment. 

“Oh wait, you’re being serious?” Kai has fully turned to look at the pair, his eyes wide in bewilderment. 

“Yes!” Taehyun and Beomgyu force out at the same time, before looking at each other again and quickly looking away. (Great, now this is the second time they’ve glanced at each other awkwardly. Friendship? Gone.)

Silence for a (painfully) longer moment. Then: 

“Oh… oh god,” Yeonjun looks faint. “You never worked it out…”

“Wow. Uh. Wow. So, actually, I think we’ll stage this intervention for different reasons,” Soobin says, scratching his head with a perplexed look on this face. What was so _confusing_?

“They’re dumb and in love, Soobinnie. Emphasis on _dumb_ ,” Yeonjun grabs onto Soobin’s shoulder for support. ( _Drama king_ , Taehyun thinks.)

Wait.

_In love_?

“Huh?” Taehyun responds intelligently. Him and Beomgyu? In love? When Beomgyu can’t possibly have such feelings towards him? That can’t be true. 

Can it?

“What are you guys talking about?” Beomgyu repeats more forcefully this time. He has his fists clenching and unclenching in his lap. Taehyun wants to reach out and put his hand over Beomgyu’s to soothe him, but it doesn’t seem appropriate given the situation. 

“Hyung, I could write an essay about this.” Kai stands up to join the two eldest in standing in front of the two on the couch. “Listen, listen! Here’s my thesis: Kang Taehyun and Choi Beomgyu are whipped for each other, and should start dating before they become anymore gross.”

Taehyun vaguely ponders which murder method would be the most efficient and discreet. Beomgyu launches a pillow at the youngest, who catches it unfazed. 

“Be embarrassed all you want! I’m not suffering because of you two anymore!” Kai's words and body language are petulant, but his face is thoroughly amused. 

“Where’s your evidence then?” Taehyun says, only because he wants to debunk this foolishness— his heart is simply too weak for his hopes to be up. 

(There’s still a small, stupid glimmer of hope, lodged in his chest.)

“Yah, they’re clearly trying to— to prank us. This is to get back for the broken mouse, right?” Beomgyu glares at Soobin, and the leader rolls his eyes and effectively ignores the younger. 

“I’ll take the first bullet point.”

“You guys have _bullet points_?” Beomgyu squawks. Soobin ignores him again. 

“Bullet Point 1: The Napkin Incident.”

♡♡♡

As the evening arrived, Soobin had gotten increasingly more hungry— after a long day of dance practices, singing sessions, and English classes, he was just about ready to eat some ramen and pass out. He was going to do so until two of his younger members stopped him in one of the hallways. 

“Ah, Soobin-hyung!” Beomgyu called out, skipping up towards him, with a Taehyun trailing along behind him. Soobin stopped and turned to face the two, suddenly feeling thoughtful. While it wasn’t uncommon for the members to be together in the entertainment building, he always felt that Beomgyu and Taehyun seemed to spend _a lot_ of time in close proximity to each other. He saw no reason to question it— it was good for the members to deepen their relationship with each other, and could only benefit the group as a whole. 

“Soobin-hyung, do you want to do a live with us? We’re gonna eat ramen and macaroons!” Beomgyu held up said snacks in his hands. Taehyun had two phones in each of his own hands. Ah. 

Soobin was tired, but definitely more hungry. And it was always nice to talk to their MOAs.

“Sure, sounds good! Give me the chicken flavored one.”

“Taehyunnie wants the chicken flavored one.”

“Oh, you can have it, hyung,” Taehyun says, waving up the hand with the phone in it. “I can take a different flavor.”

“Wah, Taehyunnie’s so nice~” Beomgyu bumps his shoulder into the younger’s, and Taehyun rolls his eyes, though there’s red now spreading on his cheeks as he responds with an ‘Unlike you,’ causing Beomgyu to protest on their way to where they usually do their lives. 

Soobin couldn’t help this vibe that he was getting…

Why’d it feel like he was _third-wheeling_?

The live was going as it usually does— chill and calming, the three bouncing off each other with stories as they answered the fans’ questions. The ramen seemed to taste better than usual (as does anything when one is super hungry). 

However, it’s undeniable that there was definitely a shift after… 

They had finished eating their ramen, and Soobin (being the _wonderful_ hyung he knows he is) volunteered to clear the table and throw out everything. When he finished doing that, he came back and noticed that the phone they used for recording had actually been a little lopsided. He went about trying to straighten it when Taehyun had chuckled. 

“Hyung, I can’t believe you’re supposed to be older when you're this messy,” The younger had shook his head, a small smile gracing his features, grabbing a spare napkin that was out of the frame. Soobin watched as he folded it carefully before turning to Beomgyu, and delicately wiped at the corner of Beomgyu’s lips where the stain had apparently resided. 

Beomgyu froze under the touch, wide eyes focused on the younger. His face was suddenly a much redder shade than it had been a few seconds ago, and Taehyun had suddenly frozen as well, staring back at his hyung as his face, also, started matching the same shade as his hair. 

Soobin felt his jaw drop as he promptly dropped the phone. 

“Fu— Uh—!” Soobin hissed as he quickly snatched up the device, checking for any damages (there weren’t, thankfully) before he glanced over to his two dongsaengs, who were then sitting _way_ too far apart from each other, both their faces still stained with red. 

Now, just _what the fuck_ was all that tension about?

If Soobin had not been questioning the two boys' proximity before, he was definitely questioning it now. 

Soobin realized that they hadn’t been saying anything for about a minute now, and it certainly did not seem like Beomgyu or Taehyun would be starting up any dialogue. 

“We’re okay, MOA~” Soobin said sweetly, pointing the phone at himself, and plastering a cute smile, “I just dropped the phone, but the phone’s okay too~”

Soobin finally sets the phone down (at least it’s straight this time) before going around the table to sit in his chair. 

“Taehyun-ah, what are they saying?” Soobin eyed the still present distance between the two boys, and Taehyun seemingly snapped out of his daze. 

“Oh, right,” he mumbles, shifting his chair back to a less suspicious distance (it’s still a little far though) as he grabbed the phone to read through the comments. Beomgyu, who had sat back in his chair, stared blankly at the phone in Taehyun’s hands, as he took his own to touch his lips. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by Soobin.

They were able to end the live without any more incidents (though Soobin couldn’t tell if he was imagining the awkwardness, or if they were just doing a really good job of hiding it. Given the fans asked no questions about it, perhaps it was the latter.) After they said their goodbyes to MOAs and cut the stream, Beomgyu muttered something about going to work in his studio and slipped out of the room quickly. 

Soobin turned to Taehyun, hoping his expression was neutral and relaxed. 

“You okay, Taehyun-ah?” Taehyun jumped at the question ( _Huh._ ) before quickly shaking his head. 

“I’m fine, Soobin-hyung! I’m gonna go practice. Thanks for joining in on the live today, you should rest!” Taehyun said, and before Soobin could get anything else out, Taehyun was gone as well. 

Soobin stared at the door as it quietly shut itself. 

_Interesting_ , is all he thought to himself.

♡♡♡

“You were imagining the awkwardness,” Beomgyu pouts petulantly, but his face is red all over again. Taehyun only looks at his hyung in wonder, as he very well remembered that moment, and how he spent a solid 30 minutes in the practice room freaking out about it, not to mention how it’d randomly pop into his head when he’d try to sleep. 

The awkwardness was definitely not imagined, and he’s pretty sure Beomgyu knows this too. 

“Stop being so defensive, brat,” Soobin smirked at Beomgyu, and Beomgyu’s pout grows (His lips are so plump, and pink, and pretty. Beomgyu’s so _pretty_.)

“There’s no reason for two people to get so worked up cause you wiped a stain off the other’s face. Unless…” Yeonjun raises an eyebrow at them, and Taehyun still shakes his head. 

“I have no clue what you're talking about,” it’s a lie. Taehyun knows it, and judging by the way that they look at him (Yeonjun amused, Kai disbelieving, Soobin deadpan) they’re all perfectly aware too. 

“So you still don’t believe us? Fine. Hueningie, I believe you have the next bullet point?” Yeonjun gestures to their youngest. 

“They actually have this planned out,” Beomgyu mutters, incredulous. 

“Unbelievable.” Taehyun agrees. Once again, they were ignored. 

“Ah, yes!” Kai says, cheerfully and a tad bit mischievous. “Bullet Point 2: The Bed Business.”

(Yeonjun gasps dramatically, and Soobin giggles evilly. Taehyun knows exactly where to bury their dead bodies.

“Yah, why do you have all these weird names! Don’t word it like that, you _brat_!” Beomgyu squeaks.)

♡♡♡

Hueningkai was certainly no stranger to affection. He loved himself a good cuddle or sincere praises, or a belly rub (his personal favorite), and so the fact that the members also happened to be decently affectionate people worked out well in his favor. He clings to his members, and they’ll cling to him back, and to each other. 

And speaking of each other, he just couldn’t help to notice that two of his hyungs seemed that way with each other. But there was always something about their interactions that he couldn’t quite place. 

Concerning physical affection, there was Beomgyu wrapping his arms around Taehyun’s middle, and Taehyun rubbing circles into his back on breaks in-between stages. Taehyun intertwining their hands together and Beomgyu squeezing back when the 5 of them sat down to watch a movie together. Beomgyu lying his head in Taehyun’s lap, and Taehyun running his hand through the other’s hair. Had it been any other combination of members, Hueningkai knows that he wouldn’t find himself mulling over it. But when it was Beomgyu and Taehyun, things just seemed… different. Intimate, like he wasn’t supposed to see. 

Or sometimes, things he felt he wasn’t supposed to hear. 

Hueningkai was settled into his own bed and had been scrolling mindlessly through Weverse when Beomgyu had walked into his and Taehyun’s shared room. 

“Hi, Hyuka,” Beomgyu waved, rather cheerfully for the late hour, and Hueningkai waved back at his hyung before Beomgyu started climbing the ladder to get to his roommate's bunk. 

“Taehyun-ah,” Beomgyu stretched out the ending syllable, “Let me stay with you!”

“Why? You really don’t have to, hyung,” Taehyun was also already settled into his bed, as they did have schedules the next day. Soobin would probably scold them soon if they didn’t go to bed soon (not that hyung had a respectable sleeping schedule, either.)

“You said you weren’t sleeping well, so I wanna sleep with you!” Hueningkai heard Taehyun sputter at the particular wording and snorted as the younger of the pair collected himself. 

“Please be careful with your wording, Beomie-hyung,” Taehyun said, and there were sounds of shifting from above and Beomgyu’s feet disappeared from Hueningkai’s view as the two boys got settled in the bunk above him.

The two bickered a bit about how to position themselves properly (“I wanna be the big spoon!” “Hyung, you were the big spoon last time.” “Well, I can be the big spoon this time too!”) before they seemingly found something that was comfortable for both of them. (Beomgyu ended up being the big spoon again, because when does Taehyun ever say ‘no’ to Beomgyu? Answer: never.) It had been blissfully silent for a little bit before: 

“So, do you guys normally sleep with the lights on?” Beomgyu spoke to no one in particular. Taehyun chuckled above him. 

“Hyuka, we’re a little tied up here. Can you turn off the lights?” Hueningkai didn’t feel like getting out of bed, so as long as he just stayed still—

“You posted on Weverse literally 1 minute ago. I know you’re awake.” Taehyun deadpanned, and Hueningkai groaned before dragging himself out of his bed to turn off the lights (“Thank you, Hyuka!”)

It was about an hour later (or 2? 3? Hueningkai always lost track of time whenever he scrolled through TikTok) when he heard activity from the upper bunk again. 

“Tyunnie, are you awake?” Beomgyu’s voice came softly. 

“Hi, Beomie,” Taehyun’s voice returned. 

“I’ll let the lack of honorifics slide since you’re so cute.” Taehyun giggled, and Hueningkai resisted the urge to roll their eyes. Did anyone not see that these two were blatantly flirting? Did they not even realize this fact?

“What is it, Beomie- _hyung_ ,” Taehyun continued cheekily. It’s quiet for a moment before Beomgyu continued. 

“I— I know it seems silly, but I’m good enough, right?”

“What? It’s not silly, of course you’re good enough. What do you mean?” There was the sound of shifting— probably Taehyun shifting to face Beomgyu.

“I don’t know… I’ve just… I feel like I’ve been making so many mistakes lately, in dance practice and vocal training, and these days whenever I try to come up with lyrics, my mind just comes up blank. I don’t know, but I don’t want to be holding back the group or anything, I don’t want to drag everyone down when everyone’s been doing so well, and I don’t wanna be a burden—”

“You are never a burden, Choi Beomgyu.” Taehyun cut him off very seriously. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. Beomgyu responded with a small sorry, and Hueningkai heard Taehyun sigh. 

“No, no, don’t apologize, it’s okay. But you need to give yourself more credit, hyung. Honestly. Everyone knows that you’re such an amazing dancer, and you always execute movements with such sharpness and precision. You sing so beautifully— I mean, the way you can literally distort your own voice for your part in _Can’t You See Me_? Have you heard yourself? You’re absolutely insane. 

“You’re so hard working, always in the studio trying to come up with something new and always contributing new ideas for the group. So what you’re hitting a wall? Creative blocks happen to all great artists, and you’re no exception. You’re gonna be okay. Beomgyu-hyung, you dance amazingly, you sing amazingly, you always look amazing—you’re amazing, hyung. Please, don’t put yourself down like that.” 

There was more silence that followed after Taehyun’s ramble, but it felt Different. Heavier.

If Hueningkai hadn’t known any better, he would say that that was practically a love confession. It wasn’t a pretty far off guess, or at least he thought so. 

“I— Taehyunnie…” Beomgyu had sounded (and probably looked) flustered and shy, but the happy gratefulness in his tone could not be missed. “Thank you. So much for that. I shouldn’t be so hard on myself sometimes.”

“It happens to the best of us. I understand that you always want to give your best, and I really admire that about you. I don’t say this often, but you’re awesome hyung. Don’t forget that.”

After that, there was a sound that Kai noted— something that sounded suspiciously like… a kiss?

Wait. 

_Kissing_? 

Kai heard Beomgyu giggle (“You’re so cute!”), and Taehyun also giggled along with him, before they agreed that it was high time that they go to sleep for their schedules in a few hours. 

The room had fallen silent (except for the evened out breathing of his two hyungs) but Hueningkai’s mind was loud in light of the conversation that he probably wasn’t supposed to be awake to hear. 

It was all so heartfelt. And his hyungs had kissed? 

Maybe there was something different there after all. 

When Kai spotted Taehyun giving Beomgyu a tender back hug, and the older leaning back into the touch in the dressing rooms later that day, he couldn’t help the small happiness that he had felt for them, to find something like that within each other. 

♡♡♡

“Wait, they _kissed_?” Yeonjun says, his eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. 

“Is that really all you took from that, hyung?” Soobin squints at the elder, and Yeonjun just flaps his hand at the leader flippantly. 

“What— _we did not kiss_ ,” Taehyun quickly protests. At this point, he’s sure that his face will permanently become red, given how the heat has yet to leave his face.

“Nope, you can’t fight me on that! I definitely heard something that sounded like a kiss, and you aren’t gonna convince me otherwise!” Hueningkai crosses his arms, looking at Taehyun challengingly. 

“But— We didn’t—”

“He kissed me on the forehead, relax,” Beomgyu said bashfully, slouched down in his place on the couch. Taehyun whipped his head to look at the older, who was not making eye contact with him. “Literally any of us would do that, so I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Uhm, well, when you take into consideration that Taehyun pretty much nearly confessed to you—”

“ _It was not a confession_. I can’t cheer up my hyung?”

“Yes, yes you can. Thank you for doing that, because Beomgyu should be giving himself more credit,” Soobin says, glancing softly at Beomgyu before continuing, “However, the ‘You’re amazing, Beomgyu-hyungie! I’m in love with you!’ kinda goes into confession territory if you ask me.” Taehyun sputters indignantly, because _liar, he did not say that he was in love with him_! 

“I— I…” Taehyun truly doesn’t know what else to say. Doesn’t think he has anything else to say. He looks at Beomgyu, and finds the older boy already looking at him, his expression most likely a mirror of his own— wonder. And maybe just a little bit of… _hope_.

Taehyun feels his heart rate speed up.

“What’s your last bullet point?” Beomgyu suddenly breaks their eye contact and looks at the other three boys. At this point, he looks as resigned. Taehyun finds himself resonating with it. 

“Ah, I think they’re finally opening their eyes!” Hueningkai stage whispers, looking excited.

“We’re witnessing something revolutionary here. This has to go in the history books,” Soobin stage whispers back. (“We can hear you.” Taehyun grits out. Soobin and Hueningkai don’t look the least bit apologetic.) 

“Well, I guess it’s time for me to reel it in,” Yeonjun stands up straighter, already looking smug. 

“Wah, hyung, you’re so cool,” Soobin says playfully, rolling his eyes. Hueningkai makes vague cheerleader motions as Yeonjun chuckles and flaps his hand as if he’s a celebrity that’s just been revealed on a Disney Channel sitcom with the cheering track playing in the background. 

(How these three are being so silly and relaxed as they shatter Taehyun’s perception of reality is truly beyond him. They were a dangerous force to be reckoned with, when put together.)

“Okay, okay! Here it is,” Yeonjun smiles impossibly wide, “Bullet Point 3: The Confession Conundrum.”

(“Wait, I just realized,” Soobin frowns, “The name for my bullet point doesn’t have alliteration.”

“What goes with ‘napkin?’” Kai asks, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Um… I dunno.” 

“Yah, be quiet, your hyung is telling a story!” Yeonjun hisses.)

♡♡♡

Yeonjun, being an only child, was excited when he learned that he was the oldest of the lineup. He’d always wanted siblings, and so the prospect of being able to be a good hyung and older brother to his members left him thrumming with joy. Sure, it could be argued that he acted as if he was the youngest member in the group, but he’s still reliable! His dongsaengs could come to him with anything, and he’d be able to help. 

Or at least, so he thought. 

Yeonjun had been sitting on the floor of the practice room, looking over some lyrics after the dance practice that the group just had. Soobin, Taehyun and Huengkai had already made their way out of the room, cheering about McDonalds or something like that, and normally Yeonjun would be all over it in a heartbeat, but he really needed to practice the lyrics right then. 

That was when Beomgyu had come up to him. 

“Hyung?” Beomgyu started, and Yeonjun looked up at the other boy. Beomgyu looked small (or as small as a 180cm boy could look, anyway) and almost nervous. Yeonjun dropped the lyrics and turned his full attention to Beomgyu. 

“What’s up, Gyu?”

“Um… can I ask you something?” Beomgyu crouched down next to Yeonjun, before looking around the empty studio and glancing back at the older boy. 

“Why’re you looking around? You’re making me nervous,” Yeonjun chuckled. Beomgyu took a long look at Yeonjun, and Yeonjun could feel the smile slipping off his face into a more serious expression. 

“Yah, you didn’t kill anyone right?” the elder inquired seriously. 

“No, what the hell?” Beomgyu snapped back, and Yeonjun relaxed a little. 

“Right, you can’t even beat me in arm wrestling let alone being powerful enough to kill someone.” 

“You know what? Nevermind, I’m asking Soobin hyung—”

“Wait, Gyu-yah, I’m sorry!” Yeonjun laughed again, as he yanked the younger back down on the floor next to him, and set a firm hand on his shoulder. “Tell me. What is it?”

Beomgyu suddenly looked nervous again. “Okay, so, uh— have you ever had a crush on someone before?”

“Oh, of course,” Yeonjun answered immediately. He’s had a lot of crushes and relationships (if you could call it that) from school, and even when he was a trainee. “It’s a perfectly natural part of life.” Then Yeonjun took a moment to think. 

Then it dawned on him. 

“Yah! Yah! You have a crush? Who is it? Do I know them?” Yeonjun grabbed Beomgyu excitedly, and Beomgyu grabbed him back (moreso out of panic) and shook the elder while hissing at him to, _shut the fuck up hyung_!

“I’ll let that slide, only because I want to know the details.”

“I— that’s not why I’m here! So, since you’ve had crushes, I’m assuming you’ve confessed to them, right? How’d you do that?” Beomgyu blurted out at once, and Yeonjun felt excitement coursing through him at this development. It must have had shown on his face again, because Beomgyu started with a, “Forget it, forget I said anything—”

“No,” Yeonjun grabbed his shoulder before he could move again, and stared off somewhere with a thoughtful look on his face. “Honestly, Gyu, you just… go for it. Be completely honest and straightforward. That’s the best you can do, really.” 

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Easier said than done, but it’s better to be honest and know the reality, rather than just keeping everything to yourself and thinking of what-ifs for the rest of time.”

Beomgyu just looked at the floor, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as his eyes shifted from crevice to crevice on the polished floor. Yeonjun sat next to him quietly, allowing the younger a moment for his words to sink in, before Beomgyu stood up abruptly, causing Yeonjun to let out a startled yelp. 

“Okay, I got it hyung. Thank you for the advice!” he said, before turning on his heel and stride over to gather his belongings and walk out the door, effectively leaving Yeonjun alone in the studio. 

Yeonjun could only sit there, lips parted and arm outreached towards the air where Beomgyu had just been standing. 

_He seems determined. Who’s the person, then_?

It was not long before his forgotten question came to the forefront of his mind again when he stumbled across a conversation that he probably shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on. 

“Taehyun-ah!” He heard Beomgyu’s voice from inside Taehyun and Hueningkai’s shared room, just as he walked past. He stopped as if his name was called, and paused in front of the door. For what reason, he wasn’t sure yet. 

“Hey, hyung. What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you.” 

Yeonjun felt mild alarm at the words: usually, whatever’s following wasn’t going to be too good. 

He heard shifting and a chair rolling—probably Taehyun at his desk—before a moment of silence. 

“…What is it?” 

Yeonjun heard a shaky breath, before Beomgyu’s voice was heard again. 

“Kang Taehyun, I like you.”

A beat. 

Then another. 

Wait, _what_?

(Had this been a sitcom, it would be at this moment that Yeonjun would spit out the drink of his choice.) 

“Wait, what?” Taehyun’s voice echoed Yeonjun’s thoughts exactly, and Yeonjun held his breath. So Beomgyu liked Taehyun? Another member? Maybe the younger _should_ have taken it up with their leader?

“I like you too, Beomgyu-hyung.” For all of Taehyun’s intelligent nature, his tone indicated that he was sorely _not grasping the situation_. Yeonjun felt himself cringe at the words that were supposed to mean well. 

“No, no, no Taehyun, you’re misunderstanding.”

“What’s there to misunderstand? I’d hope we like each other. We’re friends, aren’t we?” Taehyun blurted out, and Yeonjun felt his heart drop for Beomgyu. Friendzoned before he could even get the confession out? Damn. 

The painful silence stretched for what felt like ages. Yeonjun considered orchestrating a distraction to give an out before Beomgyu spoke up again. 

“Yeah, Taehyun. We’re friends.” The words sounded bitter and hurt. There was another moment of silence before Yeonjun heard footsteps. Yeonjun, panicked, stood back and tried to look as if he was just passing by, when Beomgyu opened the door. Whether or not he looked convincing didn’t really matter— Beomgyu didn’t even spare him a glance as he beelined directly to his and Soobin’s shared room down the hall, the door slamming with a resounding _bam_! Yeonjun looked after him for a moment, before turning to Taehyun. 

Yeonjun had never seen the younger look so… _crestfallen_. 

“Hyung,” Taehyun started, and Yeonjun winced. 

“Yes, Taehyun?”

“I think… I messed up something.” Yeonjun looked at the younger, then down the hallway at Beomgyu’s closed door. Then back at Taehyun, whose eye’s now looked suspiciously glassy, and Yeonjun let out a small sigh, before closing the distance between them and wrapping the younger in a hug. He felt the front of the shirt become damp where Taehyun’s face was buried, and neither of them commented on it. They stayed like this for a little bit, at least until Taehyun had stopped actively crying. It was then that Yeonjun finally spoke up. 

“Taehyun?”

“…Yes, hyung?”

“I think… you can still fix something.”

♡♡♡

The room was silent after Yeonjun had wrapped up his story. Taehyun felt his heart beating out of his chest— he remembered _that incident_ as clear as day. He remembered Beomgyu saying the words, _I like you_. He thought about it often. He thought about how he promptly got scared and psyched himself out, immediately denying the reality that was right in front of him. What was he so afraid of? Why was he being so dumb?

“ _Oh_ ,” is all he heard Beomgyu breathe out. Taehyun didn’t dare glance at him, his nerves still getting the best of him. 

“Well… that’s unlucky.” 

The statement quickly earned Hueningkai two twin smacks on the shoulder and chest from the two eldest hyungs, and the youngest cried out indignantly. (“Did I _lie_?!”)

“It sounds like… you two have something that you need to talk about.” Soobin settled a firm gaze on Beomgyu, then on Taehyun. Then, his gaze settled into something softer, as he began to tug on Hueningkai’s arm to lead him out of the room. “Please take this time to really listen to each other. I’m sure you’d like to hear what the other has to say.” He says softly, before giving a harder yank on Kai, who had been resisting the pulling. Yeonjun follows the two out of the room, but not before turning to Taehyun and winking at him. It took an abundance of strength for Taehyun to not roll his eyes. But there were more important things to attend to at the moment. 

The room fell silent again for a few moments, only Taehyun and Beomgyu sitting on the couch. 

“Beomgyu hyung—”

“Taehyun-ah—”

The two boys looked at each other, startled. 

“I’m sorry— you can go,” Beomgyu looked down at his lap where he nervously wrung his hands. Taehyun felt his heart melt, as well as the returning urge to cover his hyung's hands with his own. 

For once, he gave in to his urges. 

Beomgyu looked up at Taehyun sharply from where their hands were now connecting. Taehyun looked at their hands— his own settled on top of Beomgyu’s. He maneuvered them so that their palms were now touching, and gave Beomgyu’s hands a squeeze before looking up. 

The older boy’s face was glowing a bright red as he looked at the younger. He looked so beautiful. 

_Kang Taehyun, I like you._

God, why was Taehyun so _dumb_? 

“Hyung… I’m so sorry for how I responded to you the other day. I was being scared and stupid. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Beomgyu’s lips were parted open, as if he wanted to speak, but couldn’t quite get the words out. 

“If I’m being quite honest, that response wasn’t technically truthful either. So I’m also sorry for lying to you.”

“Taehyun-ah… if… if— if you don’t return my feelings, it’s—”

“ _No_.” Beomgyu winced at the forcefulness of Taehyun’s voice. Even Taehyun surprised himself there. But he’ll be damned if there were any more misunderstandings after the entire intervention that just occurred. 

“Choi Beomgyu, you listen very carefully.”

“That’s Choi Beomgyu _hyung_ to you.” Beomgyu tried, but it came out very faintly, and Taehyun couldn’t help the smile that spread on his lips. 

“Choi Beomgyu hyung, listen very carefully. I like you. I like you a lot. I like the way that you dress— those newspaper boy caps always look so adorable on you. I like the way you’re so passionate when you sing and play guitar. I like the way that you laugh. I like the way you’re always someone that the group can come to, how you always try to be a good support to us, and to me. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Everything about you is precious to me, and I’m sorry that I hurt you— someone that is so precious to me. Please accept my apology. And, if you’d like, please accept my confession as well.”

The two boys looked at each other. The more silence that passed, the more Taehyun was starting to think that talking it about may have been a mistake, and _oh god he’s gone and said too much, he can’t take it back, oh god oh god_ —

“You… you _dummy_.”

Um, _what_?

“I—”

The words didn’t get a chance to leave his mouth— Beomgyu captured them with his own. Taehyun was frozen, his heart pounding against his chest, processing the feeling of Beomgyu’s lips on his own. They were as soft as they looked. It was happening. Beomgyu was kissing Taehyun. 

Wait, wait, _kiss back_ —

Beomgyu pulled away, now a panicked expression crossing his face. 

“Wait, I’m sorry I got a little eager, I should’ve asked first—”

“No! It’s okay!” Taehyun interrupted, and Beomgyu nodded before they were silent for a moment. 

“Um,” Taehyun started, “can we… try that again? I freaked out before, but I promise I’ll actually kiss you back this time.”

Beomgyu looked at him with something in his eyes— maybe wonder? Taehyun would hope— and threw his head back as he laughed freely, his eyes scrunching up with pure happiness. 

“Taehyun-ah, you’re so cute.” Taehyun felt his face heat at the sudden compliment, which was nothing new but now had a different feeling to it, pretending to pull away with a _fine, nevermind_ , when Beomgyu quickly pulled him back, flashed a bright smile, and leaned in to kiss him again. 

This time, Taehyun kept his promise. 

♡♡♡

“So, do you think that worked?” Soobin looked up from his phone at Yeonjun and Hueningkai who were on the bed and on the floor. They had decided to take residence in Soobin and Beomgyu’s shared room for the time being. “It’s been a while.”

“They’re probably making out. You know, missed time!” Yeonjun flapped his hands dismissively, and Soobin made a face. He wasn’t sure how he felt about seeing a visual of two of his close friends making out. 

“Should we check on them?” Hueningkai shifted so he was now laying on his back and facing the ceiling. 

“But they could be making out.” Soobin reminded the youngest of Yeonjun’s suggestion. 

“Gross.” Hueningkai made a face. 

There was a beat where the three boys looked at each other.

Soobin let out a tired sigh. Yeonjun giddy jumped out the bed, giggling out a “Let’s go!”

The three made their way down the hallway as inauspiciously as three tall boys could do so, making various shushing gestures whenever someone was being too loud. They successfully made their way down to the end of the hallway where the living room was. They slowly peeked around the corner, careful about what they could see. 

As it turned out, Beomgyu and Taehyun were _not_ making out (thank god— Soobin wasn’t sure if he wanted that visual burned into his head)— instead, they were both asleep, cuddling each other on the couch. Beomgyu laid on top of Taehyun, his head tucked underneath the younger’s chin and buried into his neck, and Taehyun’s hand rested on Beomgyu’s back. Their arms dangled off the side of the couch, and their hands intertwined.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna cry.” Yeonjun whispered, his hand covering his mouth, and Soobin resisted the urge to roll his eyes ( _Drama king_ , Soobin thinks.) Hueningkai stepped a little further into the living room, holding his phone up at the two sleeping boys to capture the moment. He looked back at the photos he snapped smugly, before pocketing the phone.

“And now, I’ve got _blackmail_.”

“You two are… so ridiculous.” Soobin couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“And you still put up with us, hyung!” Hueningkai squished his face as he walked back to Soobin’s room. 

“Wait,” Yeonjun turned around and started walking after the younger, “Send me those photos!” Soobin shook his head, before turning to look at Beomgyu and Taehyun a moment longer. 

They looked so comfortable and safe with each other. For all his exasperation, Soobin was thrilled for his members and friends, that they’d figured themselves out. 

Soobin smiled softly, reaching over to flick the light switch in the living room off and to walk back to his room, but not before saying: 

“Goodnight, Beomgyu-ah, Taehyun-ah. I’m so happy everything worked out.” 

♡♡♡

_fin._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i appreciate it a lot!! i have an idea for another txt fic, so look out for that (tho it might be awhile because college is... a lot. take care of yourself, and stay safe!)


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